Some mail came in which I thought I’d share because I thought it was fun.

I laughed at it, maybe you won’t.

A woman wrote in, “By accident while traveling by car I tuned into your radio show and decided to listen as I do enjoy travel greatly. In my 20 or 25 minutes listening to you from your perch in the Ritz-Carlton in Santa Barbara…” (Well, I hate to tell her, but we haven’t ever broadcast from the Ritz in Santa Barbara because there is no Ritz in Santa Barbara) “…you displayed a dislike of Americans and an arrogance that actually startled me. To hear you tell it, Americans are the dumbest people on the globe.”

That’s not what I said. I said that Americans are the most geographically ignorant people on the globe and I will stand by that.  As for “American are the most cowardly people on the globe,” I will stand by that when it comes to fear of travel.

As for, “the American Embassy workers are only a bunch of over-stressed, over-worked bureaucrats with no intent or desire to help any American. You greatly prefer Canadians or Australians.” What I said, was when the you-know-what hits the fan the last place I run to is the American Embassy because it is the first place that shuts down. It’s the first place that’s barricaded; it’s the first place that’s boarded up. I go to the Canadians or the Australians.

Let me tell you, that’s who saved the day. It wasn’t the American Embassy that saved a lot of people; it was the Canadian Embassy and history will prove that. I was not saying that American bureaucrats had no desire to help Americans, they just weren’t around; they were hiding.

Then she continues by saying, “You brought up the Frugal Traveler column as to only to speak for him and then cajole him into agreement that nearly all Americans—of course not you—are wimpy travelers who should ignore State Department travel notices.”

I didn’t say ignore them. I read them, and then I interpret them.

Get more stories from Peter’s radio show in our Radio section. Or learn more about why he avoids US Embassies in Disaster Preparedness and Avoiding Near-Misses In the Air.

Let me explain to you why I have a problem with State Department warnings: There are over 178 State Department bulletins for U.S. citizens.

I’ll give you the one for Indonesia, which I believe I quoted that day. The one for Indonesia said Americans are warned to stay away from large crowds or avoid buses.

And my response to that is I live in Los Angeles and I avoid crowds and stay away from buses. The reason I avoid buses in Los Angeles is I have no idea where they go, and I’ve lived there since I was 21 years old!

It’s all about common sense. I didn’t say travel in war zones. And if you really listened to my show, you would know  that what I also said is that if you take a look at the real numbers here of the total number of American citizens—not military or government but just travelers—tourists who have been killed in acts of political violence or terrorism over the last 22 years, it is under 750.

Then I put that in perspective. Every week in this country at least 800 of our fellow citizens are seriously injured or killed in accidents in their own bathtubs. Every week.

Be a conscientious traveler. Learn about Travelers & Human Trafficking or try the Eco-Travel section.

So when somebody says to me I don’t think I’m going to go this location because it isn’t safe, I’m going to stay home, my reaction is: It’s OK with me, but if you want to take a bath you are on your own.

She finalizes the letter by saying, “Do America a favor, leave.” Well, I do that every week because I’m the travel editor for CBS News. Thank God I do leave because I can report back to you on where you should go and where you shouldn’t.

There are only four places in the world where I wouldn’t go, and those are the places where no one is in control: Somalia, parts of the Congo, a number of regions near Chechnya, and probably your house.

By Peter Greenberg for PeterGreenberg.com.

Related links on PeterGreenberg.com:

• Travel Detective Blog
• Peter Greenberg Worldwide Radio section
• Travelers & Human Trafficking
• Bangkok Not Dangerous: A First-Timer’s Trip To Thailand
• US Embassy in Dubai Closed For Unnamed Security Threat
• Disaster Preparedness and Avoiding Near-Misses In the Air